Although I'm not a huge fan of living in the Midwest when winter rolls around, I do love our little city and have a difficult time imagining living anywhere else.

Plus, along with having just about everything that we could ask for right here in the 'burbs, we also have the added benefit of being within driving distance to larger cities for whenever we are looking to head over for a visit.

As I mentioned last month, there are 11 Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament locations throughout North America that provide far more than a simple meal and show for their visitors.

Instead, guests are transported back in time to the age of heroic knights on spirited horses, thrilling swordplay, a master falconer and his gorgeous flying companion, javelins being thrown, a "hands-on" feast (who needs silverware?), and much more.

It definitely didn't take any convincing for the entire family to be excited for our own visit to the Medieval Times castle in Chicago!

After we arrived and were checked in, we marveled at the wide array of items and beverages for sale before being invited in to the arena. It was time to head in and get ready to cheer on the Yellow Knight (when you receive your tickets, guests are assigned to one of the six different color areas and the corresponding knight)!

While we had discussed what the evening would ensue, Little Sister B still had lots of questions pertaining to the horses, knights, and more. What was going to happen? Would people get hurt? Would there be real horses? Were they real knights? When was the food going to be served?

Fortunately, not long after we were seated our friendly server appeared and the night was underway. I couldn't get enough of seeing the looks on both of my girls' faces as they took everything in in complete amazement!

I have to admit that as much as I chuckled at Little Sister B's incredulous looks, I too had a difficult time tearing my eyes away from the showmanship and performance that is Medieval Times from start to finish.

The king and princess, the falconer, the knights' authentic armor and real metal weapons... when jousting, they charge at speeds of approximately 15 to 20 miles per hour and reach an impact velocity speed of about 30 to 40 miles per hour! Where else are you going to see something like that?

Not to mention that while all of this incredible performance is happening, we were served course after course (each quite a large portion) of delicious foods. I was thrilled that Medieval Times also caters to vegetarians, as our plates were far from empty.

Definitely plan your visit to the castle when you are hungry, because there is a lot of eating to be done!

By the time the night was coming to an end, both Big Sister E and Little Sister B had eaten their fill and were fully into the action of cheering on our Yellow Knight as he worked to defeat his enemies — not only did they love him because we were assigned to his section, he had thrown each of them a carnation at various times during the show!

Besides, just as Big Sister E said when she turned to me partway through with a glint in her eye, where else would they be encouraged to scream and yell as loud as they could while indoors and in public?!

For a completely unique experience that your family is sure to be talking about for quite some time to come (we still like to randomly pull out our yellow flags and towels and cheer for the Yellow Knight while at home!) check out Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament at MedievalTimes.com.

Plus, now is a great time to buy tickets with this money-saving promotional offer! Right now you can purchase adult tickets for $36.95 and child tickets (12 and under) for $29.95 by using the coupon code MT3629 through February 28, 2017. Simply click here to take advantage of this great offer!